Briar Chapel
Briar Chapel, the Triangle’s largest green community, opened in September 2008 to great eco-friendly fanfare. The Newland Communities residential neighborhood incorporates environmental sustainability in every aspect of its work, from low-impact development and regenerative concepts to community design.
“This comprehensive planning allows for the protection of open spaces and the preservation of the natural landscape,” says Keith Hurand, senior vice president and manager of Newland’s Carolinas division.
The development includes 900 acres of preserved open space, with shrubs and trees strategically placed to allow for water conservation. All homes are constructed based on specifications of the Green Home Builders of the Triangle’s Green Building Initiative and verified by Southern Energy Management, and Briar Chapel is a certified Energy Star development as well.
“We are committed to green building, and envisioned and created Briar Chapel to be a community that conserves natural resources and reduces environmental impact,” Hurand says.
“Most importantly, the green building practices at Briar Chapel provide a healthy environment and sustainable living for current residents and future generations.”
Common Ground Green Building Center
Common Ground Green Building Center carries a variety of eco-friendly materials in its downtown Durham retail shop, including sustainably sourced flooring and countertops; nontoxic cabinetry, paints and finishes; recycled glass tile; and home air and water filtration, among other products.
“Our showroom offers a comfortable setting to learn about these environmentally preferable options from knowledgeable experts and experience them in person,” says Dawn Hintgen, who owns the business with her husband, Paul Toma.
Common Ground, which also offers professional environmentally conscious kitchen and bath design services, employs a holistic approach to sustainability. In addition to ensuring that materials are recyclable and have a low carbon footprint, the company supports area nonprofits and small businesses whenever possible.
“From the products we choose to offer to the smallest supplies we buy for our office, we consider the impact on an environmental and social level,” she says.
“We believe that a successful business model considers people and the planet, as well as profit.”
Green Home Builders of the Triangle
With a goal of bringing green to the mainstream, the Home Builders Associations of Raleigh-Wake County and Durham, Orange and Chatham counties have developed a successful certification program that encourages the creation of more energy-efficient homes. The Green Home Builders of the Triangle (GHBT), as it’s known, has helped facilitate the creation of more than 500 certified green homes in a range of styles and prices over the past three years.
The program also helps demystify green building for Triangle residents by enabling them to talk with experienced green builders during green home tours and other events. This year, it will implement a new component to enable certification of green renovation projects in existing homes.
“Through making incremental improvements to a large number of homes — and by improving the knowledge base of builders and suppliers — the GHBT program is making a significant impact on the Triangle housing market,” says Leigh Scott, director of green building programs for the Home Builders Association of Durham, Orange and Chatham Counties (HBADOC).
“Plus, it has given HBA members a way to differentiate their homes in a tough housing market.”
Heartwood Pine Floors
Pittsboro-based Heartwood Pine Floors is a leader in harvesting sustainable wood. The company manufactures solid wooden floors reclaimed from antique longleaf pine beams recovered from buildings erected in the 1800s.
“Our manufacturing process allows us to use trees that were cut down more than 150 years ago, which means that we do not harm the forests that stand today,” says owner Larry Green.
Everything is recycled at Heartwood Pine. Sawdust is made into an organic soil component, extra end pieces are donated to low-income families as firewood kindling, and all recovered metal is recycled, from antique nails to bolts and drill bits.
“We are riding the wave as the new green trend of brand awareness, but we’ve been here doing the same process for the past 30 years,” Green says.
“I guess you could say our time has come.”
The Kitchen Specialist Inc.
The Kitchen Specialist Inc. in Durham works with both new construction and remodeling projects throughout the home. And it does it all with a green focus.
“All of the cabinetry we supply has received the highest ratings for sustainability,” says Mary T. Liebhold, CKD, owner.
“Woods from managed forests, reconstituted veneers, PureBond formaldehyde-free plywood, soy-based glues and recycled materials in the hardware are among the features we provide,” she adds. “We also educate our clients about the sustainable features of countertops, flooring, lighting and appliances.”
Its showroom uses a combination of energy-saving lighting products and skylights. It also employs an aggressive re-use and recycle program that extends beyond paper and containers to product samples and packaging materials.
“I am concerned about the environment on a global level and decided that we needed to start with changes in our daily work environment as a platform for larger change,” Liebhold says.
“More individuals are beginning to understand that they have more sustainable products from which to choose and a responsibility to do so,” she adds. “We stand ready to advise and supply those products.”
Joe Norwood, Realtor
As a residential salesperson with Allen Tate Realtors’ Chapel Hill-Durham office, Joe Norwood knows a thing or two about eco-friendly living. He’s a certified EcoBroker and has received the National Association of Realtors’ Green designation. He’s also an active member of the Green Home Builders of the Triangle.
Norwood’s approach involves treating the house as a system, from design and home positioning to building materials, roof overhangs, doors, windows, and landscaping.
“These systems should compliment each other and work together to form a whole-house system,” he says.
His role as a resource for homebuyers involves finding homes sited to optimize use of the sun, as well as those with Energy Star appliances, efficient windows, better insulation, and upgraded HVAC systems.
“I’m happy to be part of shaping our future,” Norwood says.
“All shades of green can be achieved based on an individual’s or family’s desires,” he adds. “It’s not a trend. It’s the new way of living.”
Rising Sun Pools
Rising Sun Pools of Raleigh recently began offering a Green Rewards and recycling program, which rewards customers who bring back their used plastic pool and spa chemical containers for recycling, as well as those who use its reusable shopping bags. Reward points are tallied each month and are credited to each customer’s account as cash.
“Essentially, we are paying our customers to make more environmentally friendly choices,” says Tara Onthank, co-owner.
“Customers have been excited to join the program,” she adds. “Not only does it give them an opportunity to earn money, but also a venue to recycle where there hasn’t been one in the past.”
Rising Sun also recently installed an energy-efficient lighting system to reduce costs and has a complete recycling program in place for staff. All in-ground pool packages have been upgraded to more energy-efficient models, and the company offers such eco-friendly products as mineral purification systems for pools and spas, salt generators, recycled glass media for sand filters, and more energy-efficient heat and pool pumps.
ROCKin’ teriors
ROCKin’ teriors, a custom fabricator of natural stone — including marble, granite, limestone, onyx and slate — helps eco-conscious consumers add a little sustainability to their homes. The Fuquay-Varina company also is a certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-compliant ice stone fabricator.
“We didn’t have to think twice about going green,” says Laura Grandlienard, stone consultant.
“Unlike manmade materials, natural stone is beautiful and environmentally friendly,” she adds.
ROCKin’ teriors also has added various sustainable elements to its studio and in-house fabrication shop since it opened three years ago. For example, the facility utilizes an engineered recycled-water system that has saved the company money while conserving precious resources.
“It not only makes us sustainable and socially responsible, but it also allows us to be a more efficient fabricator by reducing our water and power consumption,” Grandlienard says.
Sugarland
Sugarland, a bakery and dessert café in downtown Chapel Hill, incorporated various sustainable elements during its extensive renovations before opening in February 2008. The remodel included materials harvested from elsewhere in the historical building, as well as a floor made entirely from recycled tires and plastic water bottles.
This eco-friendly frame of mind has carried over into Sugarland’s everyday operation. Most employees take public transportation to work, and a glycol exchange unit located on the roof saves more than 30,000 gallons of water per month.
“For us, it was primarily a financial decision,” says Katrina Ryan, co-owner.
“All of our choices made as much financial sense as ecological sense.”
Since it opened, Sugarland’s water and electrical bills have shrunk by 20 to 50 percent, and the compostable corn plastic it uses for packaging helps reduce daily waste.
“The rubber flooring even helps reduce fatigue for employees,” Ryan says.
“And our Chapel Hill customers appreciate the biodegradable packaging.”
Twig
Twig, an eco-friendly specialty shop in Chapel Hill, offers quality products that blend style, function and sustainability.
“Our mission is to offer consumer choices that serve the betterment of our environment and world as a whole,” says owner Shawn Slome.
“We saw a need in the marketplace for a consumer goods store that offers people the benefit of knowing that their purchase is not only serving their needs but that’s also contributing to the betterment of our natural world.”
The shop sells organic apparel and accessories for women and children, as well as eco-friendly toys, sustainable home and kitchen products, energy-saving devices, and fair-trade bags. Twig also screens vendors to ensure that their products are produced in an environmentally responsible way and that all workers in the supply chain are treated fairly. To Slome and his staff, it’s all about making a difference in the community.
“From your place of passion, work for good,” he says.
Danielle Jackson is editor of Fifteen501, Wake Living and Triad Living magazines. |
Custom concrete and recycled glass composite countertops, which are completely recyclable, can add a stunning focal point to any room.
photo: Richard F. Cox
|
|
TOP CHOICE
Environmentally friendly countertop options abound
by Dawn Hintgen
Whether they’re in the kitchen, bathroom or an office, countertops have to handle some hard work. They’re often the first thing the eye goes to and cover a wide area of visual space, so they have to look great and stand the test of time. Out of the movement to find sustainable materials for people’s homes, some unusual countertop materials have emerged that turn out not only to be tough as nails, but also beautiful additions to any room.
A paper trail
Paper is not a material typically associated with countertops, but take many layers of recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified paper treated with resin, press and bake, and the result is a solid sheet of countertop material as attractive as it is durable. Although the main ingredient is paper, the finished top is significantly harder than wood and is resistant to stains, scratches, and heat. This material is so durable that it’s often used to make professional skateboard ramps and exterior rain screens for homes. At the same time, they have a naturally soft, honed appearance that will patina over time, similar to soapstone or leather.
Paper composite tops are made from environmentally sustainable materials and are produced domestically, reducing their carbon footprint. Some color options are derived from recycled cardboard or hemp, but a majority of the slabs are made from paper that’s either recycled or that comes from certified sustainable forests.
Tough-as-nails bamboo
With a natural butcher-block look and unique layering that makes for a beautiful edge detail, bamboo is another countertop option created from sustainable materials. This top often is used as a replacement for butcher block because of its wood-like look, but this rapidly renewable resource actually is 16 percent harder than maple.
This type of countertop is made from Moso bamboo, which is naturally resistant to bacteria — and ideal for a kitchen countertop. Bamboo comes either in its natural state — a light golden color — or caramelized, which offers a rich amber color that’s created when the bamboo is heated and the natural sugars in the grass caramelize.
A concrete option
For a look with more pizzazz, concrete and recycled glass composite countertops have a unique beauty that can add a stunning focal point to any room. Completely recyclable material with up to 85 percent recycled content makes these tops eco-friendly. Most companies that make these products are pulling glass right out of the waste stream and are reusing it to create these beautiful countertops.
A few domestic companies produce beautiful slabs of concrete and glass that’s cut and fabricated into countertops, similar to granite and quartz. There also are local companies that customize countertops, even allowing you to use your own recycled glass. Having a countertop poured to exact specifications further reduces the amount of material and energy needed to create it. While unfinished concrete is porous, a new generation of eco-friendly sealers has made concrete countertops extremely durable and easy to maintain.
Whether you want a warm, natural look to your countertop or one that shines with the bold colors of recycled glass, there’s an option out there that will be durable, eco-friendly, and gorgeous.
Dawn Hintgen is owner of Common Ground Green Building Center in downtown Durham. To learn more, call (919) 688-1500 or visit www.commongroundgreen.com.
|
|
